A leakage of oil from the Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline occurred on February 3rd, 1:30 p.m. (Moscow time) near the Skovorodino railway station (Amur region). The after-effects will have been eliminated today by 4:00 p.m. (MT), ITAR-TASS reports citing Igor Demin, spokesman for Transneft, the pipeline operator.

"According to our estimates, at least 5 to 6 cubic meters of oil have leaked. The incident came when the pipe got damaged during earthworks near the railway station Skovorodino. When the oil leakage occurred the local Prosecutor’s Office began an inquiry into the incident, detained a chief engineer of the facility, kept him questioning for over 3 hours. That have much delayed the emergency operation," the spokesman said.

According to regional Amur Emergency Ministry, its personnel and other emergency and rescue teams, including 30 specialists of Vostoknefteprovod are currently working at the scene to eliminate the after-affects of oil spill.

In 2010 this one turns to be the second incident at the ESPO oil pipeline. The first came on January 20, in the Lena region of Yakutia when some 450 cubic meters of oil leaked covering about 20.000 square meters..

The Skovorodino station oil loading facilities operate for oil transportation by trains to the specialized maritime oil port Kozmino (SMOP Kozmino) in Kozmin Bay (Primorsky region) until the completion of the second phase of ESPO trunk pipeline.